For the Jubilee of Hope, but useful any time:
Hope: An Anchor for the Soul by Amy Welborn . Here's a sample:
Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
In the midst of the consuming pain of childbirth, struggling to stay focused, a laboring woman re- minds herself-or might be reminded by those supporting her "The baby! At the end of this, you're going to be holding your baby!"
Even if you've never given birth, you've prob- ably experienced something similar: enduring
months of physical therapy or cancer treatment. Sacrificing big chunks of your life in pursuit of a worthy goal. How do we keep going and do so in a fruitful way? We think of what awaits us at the end of our labor and suffering.
The theological virtue of hope is the gift, given to us at our baptisms, that helps us remember what awaits us at the end of the labor and suffer- ing of this life. It's the desire for eternal life above all things—and the trust in Jesus' promises and mercy to guide us there.
The Lord knows that this life is hard. We can be tempted to stew in those difficult moments and forget God's love, forget that we're here because God loves us and so deeply desires us to dwell with him forever. And so, in the midst of the suffering, we're invited to hope: to let God in and allow that hope to grow and renew us.
Pray: Lord, strengthen my hope in you.
